BernardSpector

Bernard (Bernie) Spector, M.D., passed away peacefully due to renal failure on July 7, 2015, at age 91. Bernie was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1923. When Bernie was only 9, his father died. To help feed the family, which included an older brother, Irving (now deceased), Bernie got a job in the garment district of Manhattan pushing carts of clothes after school. In 1939, he scored highest in the math aptitude exam given by the military to find exceptional future engineers for the war effort. He accepted a military scholarship to Johns Hopkins at age 16 and also attended The Citadel. Bernie was a Lieutenant in the Army Air Force in WWII, serving in Intelligence. He then attended New York Medical College and obtained his M.D. in 1949. He went on to become a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, served during the Korean War, and became a Flight Surgeon. Bernie married Estelle (née Mellin) Spector in 1953, and they enjoyed a wonderful 53 years together. Bernie left the Air Force in 1955, and became an accomplished psychiatrist specializing in psychoanalysis and community mental health. Bernie and Estelle finally settled in Texas, spending time in Waco and Austin and finally retiring to El Lago in 1994. Bernie was pre-deceased by Estelle in 2006 and leaves behind his 3 children: Ivan Charles Spector, M.D., of Houston, TX; Lawrence Neil Spector (and wife Elisabeth) of El Lago, TX; and Sara Ruth Spector, J.D., of Hondo, TX. Bernie is also survived by Lawrence and Elisabeth's 2 children, whom he adored: Benjamin George Spector and Emily Miriam Spector. The family wishes to extend special thanks to his caregivers: Nita Baird, Mary Driver and Leola Driver, who dedicated themselves to providing continuous and uncompromising care during the last 5 years. They were relentless advocates for his well-being at home and during his hospital stays and never left his side. The family would also like to thank Angel Vega for providing expert dialysis treatment and Drs. Chau Vu, Niraj Choudhary, and Smriti Choudhary for their medical care. The efforts of all of these individuals gave Bernie precious extra years to enjoy his family, good food, good music, science fiction books, and martinis.